21CM Announces the 2016 Pop Icon

January 2017

Throughout 2016, our talented panel of artistic curators selected 50 people, organizations and projects they believed were advancing the art form in interesting ways. Each month, your voting narrowed down the field to ultimately create this year’s super pack of POP winners. Please give a round of applause to the overall winner, our POP Icon of 2016, Louisville Leopard Percussionists. Of the Percussionists, Teddy Abrams writes: “Educator Diane Downs believes that everyone can improvise and be a creative musician. With that philosophy, she founded The Louisville Leopard Percussionists, a performing ensemble of young musicians, ages 7–14, who learn to play mallet instruments and drum sets entirely by ear. The Leopards demonstrate a raw enthusiasm for making music, playing with unabashed enjoyment.”

We also celebrate the POP winners in each category, including Teddy Abrams, our POP Person of 2016; Louisville Leopard Percussionists, our POP Organization of 2016; and Pacific Symphony – Music Mixology, our POP Project of 2016.